Side warning for close clearance



June 1 1926. 1,587,307

B. J. HASTINGS SIDE WAliNING FOR CLOSE CLEARANCE" Filed Sept. 25,- 1925 b VW TT RN YF- Patented June 1, 1926.

UNITED STATES} r-A'rsn'r tries.

SIDE 'wAnnino ron CLOSE CLEARANCE.

Application filed. September 23, 1925. Serial No. 58,169.

It is common to provide a bridge warning ad acent a railroad track to strike lightly a brakeman on the top ofa freight train in ample time to Warn him of the approach to a bridge so that he can flatten down to avoid being struck by the bridge. Sometimes the track runs so close to the side wall of a building or other structure that a brakeman who may be standing on or climbing a side ladder attached to the side of a moving freight car is in danger of being struck by said side wall and thrown off or seriously injured. The bridge warning will not be helpful to warn of such obstacle.

The object of the present invention is to provide a warning device located beside a traveled way to warn of approach to an obstruction close beside the way in ample time for the traveler to avoid striking against it. It is especially intended as a warning for trainme-n on a freight train, but it is also useful in narrow passageways in factories and other places. The invention is shown in the drawings as applied to use for warning trainmen on a freight train. 7

It consists of a flexible device which will give a light blow against the traveler in ample time to warn him of the approach to danger. When applied to a railroad warning the device is located near enough to the side of the track so that it will lightly touch any person who may be on the ladder of the freight car in ample time to warn him to climb to the top of the car out of danger.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

In the drawings Fm. 1 1s a lan view of a device embod I v ing the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation showing an end view of a car on a railroad track and a pole on which the warning devices are mounted in operative position with relation to the moving car.

Referring to the drawings There is shown at 11 a socket member which forms one of the sections of the jointed arm provided with a tubular clamp 12 at one end adapted for connection with a pole 13, as shown in Figs. 2 and l, the other end of said member 11 being former with a socket to receive a ball member 1 1 of the second section 15 of the jointed warning to form a universal joint connection.

In order to hold the two members 11 and 14 in assembled relation and normally in axial alinement with each other, there is provided a spring 16 one end of which is connected with the ball member 14: and the other end of which is connected at 17 with the head 18 of the socket member 11 which is connected with the clamping member 12. The ball member 14 is provided with an annular flange 19 preferably, slightly cupped at its rim, as shown at 20, said flange 19 forming a stop which engages the adjacent end of the socket member 11. The spring 16 normally holds the ball member with the flange 19 seated on the end of the socket member 11, as shown in Fig. 3, in which case the second joint member 15 will be in alinement with the axis of the member 11. to allow the flexing of themember 15 with relation to the member 11 in any direction under pressure against its side but when the pressure is released the spring 16 will turn the member 15 back into straight aline ment with the axis of the member 11. The outer end of the joint member 15 is formed with a socket 21. similar to the socket member 11.-and a second ball member 22 mounted on the joint section 23 is seated in the open end of the socket member 21, being provided with an annular flange 2% which is seated upon the end of the socket member 21 and 1s provided'with a spring 25 similar to the spring 16 and being for the our ose of normall retainiin the 'oint. l P a member 23 in alinement with the niember 15.

A plurality of these jointed warning members are attached to a pole 13 in series at different elevations one above another, the pole being set in the ground, as shown at 26 in Fig. 4, adjacent the railroad track 27 sufficiently near so that the ends of the warning members will in normal position extend. very close to the side of the car 28 when the car passes. The warning will be set at a point where it will be passed by the train at a point sufficiently distant before it passes the Wall of the building or other structure The spring, however, yields of which it is to give warning to permit the brakeman who may happen to be on one of the ladders attached to the side of the car to be warned in time to climb out of danger to the top of the car. The outer end of the outer jointed member 23 will extend near enough to the car so that it will strike the brakeman it he is in position on the ladder. These joint sect-ions should be made as light as possible consistent with strength and the springs 25 should be sufliciently flexible so that they will bend at the slightest touch of the warning member againstthe brakeman to avoid injury to th brakeman or knock him oil the ear. ll" the warning strikes the brakeman on one side the jointed member will be bent in horizontal plane sutiicient to give a glancing blow as the train sweeps by and it the brakeman is climbing at the time so that his head will come up underneath the warning the jointed member will be bent upward or it he is going down the jointed arm will be bent downward, in either event being bent sutlicient to give clearance with a slight pressure contact but sutiicient to warn the brakeman. I have shown the invention as embodied in a three-section derice with two imiversal joints as I regard that as the preferred form but it is obvious that the joints may be more or less in number as desired.

What I claim is 1. A telltale side warning for persons approaching a danger point adjacent a travelled way, comprisin a support, an arm connected therewith by a joint which permits the arm to be turned in a horizontal plane and a spring which normally retains said arm in a horizontal position at right angles to the path or" travel over said way, said spring yielding to permit the arm to be turned at its joint under slight pressure and which is e'liici-ent to restore the arm to its normal position when the pressure is released.

2. A telltale side warning of approach to a structure closely adacent to a traveled way comprising a standard set adjacent the passageway having mounted thereon a plurality of jointed arms extendingtoward the path of travel the members of each arm being connected together by a universal oint.

A telltale side warning of approach to a structure closely adjacent to a traveled way comprising a standard set adjacent the passageway having mounted thereon a plurality of jointed arms extending toward the path of travel, the members of each arm being connected together by a universal joint, and a spring connection between the several members of the joint which normally retains the several members of the joint in alinement with each other, said spring yielding to permit the joint to be flexed under slight pressure and which is etiicient to restore the members of the joint to normal position when. the pressure is released.

4. A telltale close side warning for persons approaching a danger point comprising a standard having mounted thereon one or more telltale arm members each of which comprises at least two sections, one of which is provided with means for attachment to said support, another of which has a ball and socket connection with said first member and a spring which normally retains the two sections in axial alinement with each other and which yields to allow flexing of one with relation to the other.

5. A telltale side warning for persons approaching a danger point comprising a standard having mounted thereon one or more telltale members each of which comprises at least two sections, one of which is provided with means for attachment to said support, another of which has a ball and socket connection with said first member and a spring which normally retains the ball member and socket member in axial alinement and which yields to allow flexing of one with relation to the other, the ball member being formed with a flange on its outer periphery which normally engages with the out-er end of the socket member.

6. A telltale side warning for persons approaching a danger point adjacent a travelled way, comprising a support, an arm connected therewith by a universal joint, a spring which normally retains said ,arm in a horizontal position at right angles to the path of travel over said way, said spring yielding to permit the arm to be turned at its joint in ditterent planes under slight pressure and which is etlieient to restore the arm to its normal position when the pressure is released.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

BENJAMIN J. HASTINGS. 

